The owner of Euro Mini Market in Pretoria North, Abdullah Hassan, has denied allegations that his shop was selling meat from the floor, stating that a viral video was misleading. 

According to Hassan, the meat in question was Halal meat intended for his Muslim brothers, not for sale to customers. 

The clarification comes after the City of Tshwane shut down the shop for allegedly flouting municipal by-laws.

Hassan confirmed that metro police officers had visited his shop and that he explained to them that the meat was not intended for sale.

“I saw that some people have highlighted that we are selling it for customers and that it is a problem. That is Halal meat for Muslims. We bought a cow from a farm and that meat was meant to be shared among us. That is our culture,” he said.

He clarified that his shop does sell takeaway meals with cooked meat, which he sources from a butchery, while the Halal meat is purchased from a farm for personal or family use.

According to him, the metro police officers who visited his shop only identified a fire safety violation and subsequently decided to shut down the business.

Following the shop closure, Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya posted on X, confirming that the shop has been closed by the city’s health and building control unit. 

“But, if you see any movement, alert us. This year, let’s intensify our fight against non-complying businesses,” she said.

A video that has sparked outrage shows two workers, one in a white uniform, packaging meat outside the shop.

The meat is placed on a plastic sheet on the floor, where workers without gloves are portioning it into small buckets.

The workers weigh the meat before packaging it in plastic and handing it to Hassan, who takes it inside the shop.

Hassan has described the social media post as being unfortunate because it even affected his business “a little bit”.

“The person who took that video was drunk,” he said.

A man’s voice, allegedly the person recording the video, is heard saying: “Let me take two pieces there and I will take it that side, you braai it and you eat it. I want to see.”

Hassan responded that he would have no problem eating the meat.

The incident has sparked heated reactions on social media, with many calling for the shop to be shut down due to health concerns and perceived risks to public safety.

“Foreigners running food business will forever be a bad thing to happen to this country,” one X user said.

Others called on the government to take tough actions against those caught on the wrong side of the law.

“This is disgusting to even look at. These people must be dealt with,” said one person.

The shop remained closed on Monday, but Hassan expressed hope it would reopen soon, stating they have addressed the fire safety concerns raised by metro police.

Tshwane Metro Police Department spokesperson, Colonel Isaac Mahamba, has not yet responded to a request for comment.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

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